Govt. to reduce human intervention at ports – Amaechi

Worried about the loss of business to neighbouring countries arising from low competitiveness, indications emerged at the weekend that the Federal Government may further reduce the number of agencies at the nation’s ports. This is part of measures to address complaints bordering on the ease of doing business.

The Government said efforts are underway to reduce human intervention at the ports, some of which have been responsible for the poor operational efficiency, by deploying technology and increasing stakeholder collaboration on regulatory frameworks.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, noted that the present administration is looking at issues raised by stakeholders bordering on concessions, charges and local content as well as the number of agencies at the ports. This is with a view to improving earnings from non-oil exports as well as encouraging bilateral ties between Nigeria and other trading partners.

With many importers and traders diverting their cargoes to neighbouring countries, the Government noted that measures are underway to address the bottlenecks in the maritime sector. Besides, the government also announced plans to invest massively in infrastructure and human capacity development, noting that it is focusing on policies and reforms geared at promoting diversification and structural reform of the economy. Read more